Review: Undecided by Julianna Keyes

Undecided by Julianna Keyes

Series: Burnham College #1

Genres: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Release Date: April 4, 2016

Format: Kindle

Source: Purchased

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

Synopsis

Nora Kincaid has one goal for her second year of college: be invisible. Last year’s all-party-no-study strategy resulted in three failed classes and two criminal charges, and if she messes up again she’ll lose her scholarship. But there’s one problem with her plan for invisibility, and his name is Crosbie Lucas: infamous party king, general hellraiser…and her new roommate’s best friend. 

Crosbie’s reckless reputation and well-known sexcapades aren’t part of Nora’s studious new strategy, but as she’s quickly learning, her new plan is also really boring. When Crosbie’s unexpected gestures of friendship pull her head out of her books long enough to see past his cocky veneer, she’s surprised to find a flawed and funny guy beneath it all. The muscles don’t hurt, either. 

But as Nora starts to fall for Crosbie, the weight of one of last year’s bad decisions grows even heavier. Because three failing grades and two misdemeanors are nothing compared to the one big secret she’s hiding…

My Thoughts

I have a friend (I'm giving you the side eye, Brittany) who has been hounding me to read Undecided for almost a year. She loved it, it seemed like everyone loved it, it was the next big new adult hit... and even though I was interested to read it, I have to admit I was a little wary of the hype. Hyped books, no matter the genre, always seem to fall flat for me. Thankfully, Undecided broke that mold and really was worth the raves. 

A Truly Likable Female Main Character: Nora wasn't the shy virgin being wooed by the college jock (yawn), she wasn't the beautiful girl with the tragic past (double yawn). Instead she was a young woman who spent high school as the invisible bookish girl and overcompensated during her first year of college by being the party girl. Now with the partial loss of her scholarship, she's trying to find some balance and figure out that the real Nora lies somewhere in between those extremes. I found Nora to be so relatable and so likable. Even when I questioned some of her decisions I understood her reasoning (even knowing they were going to eventually blow up in her face). By the end I was really applauding her choices and the growth and maturity she was showing. 

A Male Protagonist That Stole My Heart: At first glance Crosbie might seem to be the typical jock/party guy/manwhore on campus, but there was a lot more there than met the eye. Because Crosbie was a total sweetheart! He was hardworking, thoughtful, funny and kind. And, like Nora, he was also someone who was deciding who he did, and didn't, want to be. The more I came to know Crosbie the more I liked loved him. I think I read every scene with Crosbie with a big, goofy smile on my face because that guy... he was just the best. I. Was. Smitten. *sigh*

I Didn't Drown In Angst: I love angst as much as the next girl. Sometimes the more angst the better because, y'know, I thrive on the emotional turmoil of fictional characters. But sometimes less is more and Undecided was a great example of that. Sure, Nora was struggling to find a balance in her life and struggling with her feelings for Crosbie, but it always, always felt realistic and never veered into melodrama. 

No Love Triangle/No Insta-Love: Despite the title, there's no love triangle here. Thank you! And no insta-love. Thankyouthankyou! Instead there was crazy, intense chemistry between Nora and Crosbie that practically leapt off the pages. There was friendship, there was sexual tension, there was friends with benefits, and then there was more. And I enjoyed every phase of the relationship between these two. 

The story may not have been totally original but I didn't even care. Because the writing was so good, because I cared about these characters, because the secondary characters were so awesome, because the banter was 100% on point. And because Crosbie. ♥

4.5/5 STARS

 

Have you read Undecided?